To reduce our carbon emissions

OUR PLEDGE

Why is this important?

The Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019 commits the UK government to reduce carbon emissions by at least 100% by 2050, effectively establishing a net zero carbon emissions position by that date.

We have launched a series of initiatives as we commit to making our sites more environmentally friendly:

Our pledge to reduce our carbon emissions

3000 properties inour portfolio

100%by 2050

The health and care system in England is responsible for approximately 5% of the country’s carbon footprint and therefore in January 2020, the NHS launched it’s ‘For a Greener NHS’ campaign to accelerate efforts to tackle climate change with a series of co-ordinated measures to reduce its carbon output.

With 3000 properties in our portfolio, 10% of the NHS estate, NHS Property Services has a very important role to play in supporting the NHS and the UK government in becoming net zero carbon by reducing the negative environmental impact of our buildings.

What have we done in the past 12 months?

In April 2020, we signed two new energy contracts. By moving to 100% renewable electricity, we will offset 37,000 tonnes of CO2 per year without any increase in costs to either the NHS or our tenants. With the implementation of a new procurement strategy, as part of the new contracts, we will be able to deliver some of the best prices in the market, while managing risk and maintaining budget certainty.

We have kicked off a three year programme to proactively install LED lighting in, initially, 40 properties which represents an investment of £1.65m. LED lighting can produce electricity savings up to 75% or more compared to traditional forms, are more adaptable and produce a clearer, crisper light to work under. Over this three year programme we anticipate the cost savings to be in the region of £1.5 - £2m, which is money that can be reinvested in other parts of the NHS, and reducing our carbon footprint by about 2,000 tonnes of CO2.

We are undertaking energy audits at our top 50 energy consuming sites and produce concise reports detailing findings and recommendations. These reports will be used to gather and consolidate property information, identify the quick win opportunities and develop larger scale programmes of work to drive energy and water reduction, along with associated emissions.

In order to improve awareness of what we are doing, we set up an Energy Leads group at NHSPS to engage like minded individuals from each region in 2018. In 2019, the group expanded as we drive change. The group meet, discuss current actions and progress and disseminate this to their colleagues in the region as we need changes to be made at site level to help NHSPS reach net zero carbon. With energy savings seen to be over £1.9m in 2018-19 and a similar amount in 2019-20, the benefits are very real, and equate to about 4,600 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Top Tips: How you can reduce your carbon emissions

• As we come into summer, review yourthermostat setting and lighting controls toreflect the increasing temperaturesand daylight.

• Drive down overnight energyconsumption in your place of work byturning off lights, computer monitors andprinters.

• Monitor your energy use and reportand fix any faults in your home or officethat could cause unnecessary energyconsumption such as:

- Over heating/cooling of a space on a consistent basis.

- Broken or badly controlled heating and cooling equipment.

- Broken or poorly fitting windows.

- Dripping taps.

- Heating equipment and pipework that is not insulated.

What is our goal?

NHS Property Services will align with the ambitions of the wider NHS, aiming to become net zero carbon by 2050, for the properties that we actively manage and where we supply the energy.

Our pledge to reduce our carbon emissions

Whats next?

Solar technology - In 2019, the energy demand of our portfolio was 170GWh for electricity and 335GWh for gas. We need to use energy more efficiently and consider alternative provisions of heat, hot water and electricity. Solar technology is a promising, viable and tested solution to reduce carbon emissions and at the same time to reduce the demand for electricity and gas. We are looking at innovative and traditional technologies available in the UK market to test in a pilot project and validate the potential of the technology for the rollout to a wider range of properties in our portfolio.net zero

emissions by 2050 Smart meters - Although we have main fiscal meters in place for billing our electricity supply, we lack the knowledge of which rooms in a building and what pieces of equipment are consuming electricity. The ability to separate and measure electricity consumption at our sites allows us to better manage it to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. We will be trialling a smart metering system at three sites over 12 months before decided whether to install the equipment at other sites..

Building management system - A good building management system would allow all us to know when something goes wrong before the occupiers feel the impact, improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. We will be trialling two different software platforms at four sites to test the technology and understand how we can utilise it to drive change. Using this technology will inform us of the current operation of the BMS. It will also provide insight into which specific assets are failing or have failed so we can operate more efficiently, and help us identify cost saving opportunities..

Smart thermostats and controls - There are a large number of small properties that are served by domestic style boilers for heating and hot water, but with limited flexibility for changes to occupancy times, locations and occupancy levels. This means that some of these systems are operating inefficiently and wasting energy. A smart thermostat solution provides a unique opportunity to provide more flexible and accurate control to our customers, improve energy efficiency, enable global settings and remote maintenance opportunities, leading to improved energy efficiency and reduced costs. We aim have the systems in place for the 2020/2021 heating season.